Patients are now being offered a wide range of health services at a new NHS Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) at Armley Moor Health Centre.
The CDC, operated by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, offers tests including ultrasounds, ECGs, blood tests, blood pressure checks, sleep studies and spirometry testing.
This new centre means local people don’t have to travel into the city’s larger hospitals for these tests.
Professor Phil Wood, Chief Executive at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, recently visited the Armley CDC.
He said: “I was delighted to visit Armley Community Diagnostic Centre and meet the committed and caring team working there. It was really interesting to hear about the impact this new centre is already having in its first few months.
“It was also good to speak to staff about future plans and how we’re going to continue developing these services.
“Our CDCs play a key role in providing fairer access to healthcare services and bringing care closer to home for patients, while also reducing the pressure on our larger hospitals.”
More than 4,150 tests have been carried out at Armley CDC since it opened at the end of September.
Rhina Pagarigan, Junior Sister at Armley CDC, said: “Patients have told us they are pleased to be able to get their health tests closer to home, so they don’t have to travel so far to our major hospitals. We’re also reducing waiting times by seeing more people at CDCs, which is better for all our patients. These centres make it easier for people to access healthcare – it’s more convenient and efficient for them.”
Laura Lamping, CDC Programme Manager at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, said: “Armley CDC has been popular with patients so far and we’ve received some great feedback about how convenient people find it, having these services on their doorstep. Patients have also commented on how friendly, efficient and reassuring our staff are in this centre, which is lovely to hear.
“Our CDCs give people easier access to diagnostic services, reducing waiting times and relieving pressure on major hospital sites. They also help give patients more options and have the potential to allow people to get multiple tests on the same day in the same place.”
The centre opened late last year and is one of three CDCs in Leeds, joining Seacroft and Beeston in bringing care closer to patients’ homes.
When GPs or hospital care teams refer people for diagnostic tests, they can select the most convenient location for the patient – which may be their local CDC. This offers an additional choice for patients; they still have the option of visiting a GP practice or major hospital.
So far over 78,674 tests have been delivered across the three CDCs, with an aim of delivering over 107,000 per year once fully operational.